Born in Giessen, Germany December 03 1987 to two military parents, Andrew Goins' father split before he was born leaving him and broken promises of marriage to his mother behind. At the age of 2yrs old, his mother moved him along with his brother & sister to Orlando, Florida where his Grandfather, Wilfred Milligan, become the father and mentor to the man known as Jo.Blakk.

After spending 5yrs in Orlando his mother moved his family to Sandersville, and then Hinesville, Georgia before inevitably moving back to Orlando with her parents, the stress of raising three kids alone forcing her to occasional stays in the local asylum.

At the age of 10yrs old Jo.Blakk took to the streets, exercising his aggression of being fatherless by fighting and breaking into houses. It was when he got into a fight at RidgeWood Elementary School that his mother realized she needed to make a change. In 1998 she got the opportunity for a better job in a town called Gainesville, home of the UF Gators and next door neighbor to the forgotten slave town of RoseWood. This is where Jo.Blakk would grown into a man.

His scenery changed, but the restless aggression within him would remain. At age 16 Jo.Blakk would experience jail for the first time, after punching his teacher in the face and breaking her nose, consequences of his choice to fight on his brothers behalf.

Then came high school, a seemingly pointless junction in his life whose only benefits seemed to be the girls whose bodies had begun to become women and the thrills of playing basketball and football. When academic system at Buchholz High School failed to engage mind, Jo.Blakk lost interest in class and along with it his eligibilty to be an athlete. By Sophomore year he was "skippin" a class a week. By Junior year, a couple days of classes. By Senior year, weeks at a time.

With no hope of graduting he said "fuck it" and took a first class flight to Oakland, CA along with his childhood friend Joshua Bey, effectively dropping out of school.

The 5 months Jo.Blakk spent with the "Your Black Muslim Bakery" muslims and disciples of Yusuf Bey altered his view of the world. He learned and witnessed things he'd never heard of before. He gained a respect for the Islamic faith he carries til this day. However, it didn't take him long to come face to face with the gritty reality of his hosts.

Loan fraud, arson, drug dealing, and murder were of the few things Jo.Blakk came to know during his stay. It was when a kidnapping gone wrong that he knew he had to split. He had been working for the "Your Black Muslim Bakery" for weeks without pay and couldn't afford a ticket anywhere out of Oakland. Luckily, an old friend from Maryland fronted him the money for his ticket and he caught the first thing smoking to Silver Spring ( several months later the Feds raided "Your Black Muslim Bakery" on charges of murder and kidnapping ).

Maryland quickly became his 2nd home after he found there was an abundance of opportunity in the place. After a brief stint of joblessnesss he began making money over fist, eventually being able to afford his own apartment and anything else he wanted. What happened next he could have never predicted. After losing two friends to the penitentary, one for kidnapping and the other for statutory rape, Jo.Blakk received a phone call telling him his longtime accomplice Douglas Simpson had been shot in the head and killed. He found himself slipping into a depression, his paranoia over taking him. After nearly being abducted himself, and witnessing another murder on his doorstep, Jo.Blakk felt his time in Maryland was at an end. His Uncle Tony, on his dad's side made promises of job opportunities and low cost of living which enticed him to make a move to Texas.

It wasn't what he thought it would be.

It took almost 8 months to find a job, and his desperation Jo.Blakk found himself playing women for money and stealing from his Uncle's kids. It didn't take long before he was thrown out back to the streets. His Uncle Monty, a man of God, took him in with his family.

His luck changed. He found a job as a car salesman, making $300 minimum a week. He was beginning to focus more his music, finally deciding to finish his 2nd solo mixtape, Book Of Ether. He had began writing it back in Oakland then stopped. Began again in Maryland, and stopped. In Texas he found a woman that encouraged him in making his music, and he recorded an initial 7 tracks.

Things were finally on his side.

Then,

his Uncle's wife had a cousin from South America who moved in. To say the least, she was thicker than a chocolate bar and fine like Halle Barry. It took a week for Jo.Blakk to fuck her. After his Uncle realized what had happened he kicked him out, forcing Jo.Blakk to move back to Florida. He lost those initial 7 tracks for Book Of Ether, but began to write new songs and this, is where he came to find his passion. Nothing satisfied or gave him a rush like recording in the booth. After a couple of studio sessions, he knew he had found his life's purpose.